High-res
In Cape Town without a Plan
(Above: View of Hout Bay from Chapman’s Peak)
We’re in uncharted territory, quite literally. After the past few months of frantic packing, selling, moving, farewells and yet more packing, we neglected to do any planning. As such, my ‘to do’ list ended just before the flight to Cape Town, after that, the page was empty. Bleary eyed from the 14 hour flight, we arrived to a glorious Sunday morning in Cape Town. My friend picking us up from the airport informed us that we were lucky to have this weather, and that it was raining cats, dogs and other assorted animals the past week. In my past visits to South Africa, every single day had been glorious like this, so as far as I was concerned, it was business as usual, weather-wise anyway. This time, my stay in Africa will be somewhat longer (2 months and 3 weeks to be precise) so I’m sure I will get to see some of that ‘dreadful weather’ that everyone was complaining about, but for now, there’s sunshine abound and I’ll happily take it.
Cape Town is a most multi-faceted place, driving around, I was at times reminded of Australia, with the hardy wind swept vegetation that lined the roads, and at other times, America, with its abundance of space, wide roads and malls in the outskirts, and at yet other times, England, with its lush greenery, beautiful cottages and houses in Constantia and tree lined country roads, but yet it always retained a certain African flavour throughout, be it in the form of guys approaching cars at stop lights trying to make a few rand telling you a joke, or the sometimes not so subtle electrified fences ringing the said beautiful houses. It is a place of contrasts, of turquoise bays and manicured gardens, of haves and have-nots, of sunshine and of rain. The presence of Table Mountain loomed large always, and is a frame of reference throughout Cape Town. Equally imposing and majestic, it formed the perfect backdrop of the city.
Scarborough Beach
View of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head from Signal Hill
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
